OBJECTIVE To compare the outcome of donepezil treatment in ethnically diverse Alzheimer disease (AD) patients with ethnically diverse AD patients who did not receive donepezil. METHODS Patients meeting NINCDS-ADRA criteria for probable or possible AD from a consortium of California sites were systematically followed for at least 1 year in this prospective, observational study. Their treatment...

The 5-HT6 receptor is a promising target for cognitive disorders, in particular for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The high affinity and selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist idalopirdine (Lu AE58054) is currently in development for mild-moderate AD as adjunct therapy to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs). We studied the effects of idalopirdine alone and in combination with the AChEI donepezil o...

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) exerts beneficial effects on cognitive function. The selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil increases serum IGF-I levels in elderly subjects. Because stimulation of sensory neurons induces IGF-I production by releasing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the mouse brain, we hypothesized that donepezil increases IGF-I production by sensory n...

The 5-HT6 receptor has emerged as a promising target for cognitive disorders and combining a 5-HT6 receptor antagonist with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) represents a novel approach for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recent phase 2 trial showed that the selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist idalopirdine (Lu AE58054) improved cognition in patients with moderat...

donepezil, a member of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor family, is approved for management of cognitive impairments as well as behavioral complications in patients with neurodegenerative alzheimer's disease. generally, donepezil is regarded as a safe medication in patients with alzheimer's disease although there have been reports of several minor adverse events including gastrointestinal dist...

BACKGROUND Ethnic diversity between different populations may affect treatment safety and efficacy. AIMS AND METHODS A subanalysis to a global trial (study 326) was carried out to ascertain the safety and efficacy of donepezil 23 mg/day compared with donepezil 10 mg/day in Asian patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease. Changes in cognition and global functioning were measured by ...

OBJECTIVE To study the safety and efficacy of the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and cognitive impairment. METHODS This was a double blind, randomised and placebo controlled, crossover study in which 14 patients with PD and cognitive impairment received donepezil (5 or 10 mg per day) or matching placebo during two sequential periods lasting 10 wee...

Therapy with donepezil (Aricept®, Pfizer) has been found to significantly improve behavioral symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A 20-week study was designed primarily to compare the efficacy and safety of the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft®, Pfizer) with placebo in patients already receiving donepezil therapy. The patients were not depressed but were exhibit...

Olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) causes cognitive dysfunction by degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum. Here, we define an involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in neuroprotective effect of donepezil in the septum neurons of OBX mice. Neuroprotective effects on the medial septal cholinergic neurons were assessed after chronic donepezil administration in OBX mice. ...

In the brain of Alzheimer's patients, the cholinergic neurons innervated the hippocampus and cerebral cortex degenerates before accumulation of beta-amyloid protein. Donepezil, a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor is reported to rescue neurons from excitotoxic injury in culture. However, there is no evidence to confirm its neuroprotective effect on ACh neurons in vivo. Using olfactory...